Psalms 1:4

Not so with the wicked! Instead ¹  they are like wind-driven chaff. ² 

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

But this is not true of the wicked. They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

You're not at all like the wicked, who are mere windblown dust--

The evil-doers are not so; but are like the dust from the grain, which the wind takes away.

The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Not so with the wicked! Instead ¹  they are like wind-driven chaff. ² 

¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.

² tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.

sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and productive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind. The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).